Wall construction and unit therefor



Mfll'Ch 10, 1931. H SHARPE 1,795,451

WALL CONSTRUCTION AND UNIT THEREFOR Filed March 9. 1929 I 7 I 2M2 M Patented Mar. 10, 1931 UNITED STA HARRY SHARPE, F nosron, MASSACHUSETTS WALL oons'rnuo rron Application filed March 9,

In my Patent No. 1,574,123, granted February 23, 1926, for interlocking multiple brick, is disclosed a wall construction employing two forms of double height building blocks and one form of single height blocks which in the finished wall are securely in terlocked by their mutual engagements. The two double height blocks cannot be used interchangeably, but as they are very similar in general appearance one is apt to be confused with the other by the Workman, this not only being very annoying to him, but due to the great care he must exercise in selecting the right blocks materially slowing his progress. Moreover, a very large number of each of the double blocks is required when the work is of any considerable magnitude so that there is likely to be a considerable deficiencyor excess of one form of double blocks go wherever there are sufficient of the otheras it cannot be readily ascertained just how the requirements of any job will be divided between the two. Where there is a deficiency the work maybe delayed until the additional blocks necessary can be supplied and when there is aneexcess this excess must'be removed or regarded as waste material. Any of these contingencies adds to the cost of the construction.

The present invention has for one object the avoidance of the-use of a pair of different A types of double height blocks, a double block 1 of one form only being required, without however sacrificing the desirable secure interlock between adjacent blocks afforded by the patented construction.

Further objects and advantages will appear from a more complete description of 0 certain embodiments of this invention disclosed I in the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 and 2 are elevation andplan views, respectively, of a single block Figures 3 and 4are elevation and plan AND umr rnnnnron 1939. Serial I No, 345,678.

views, respectively, of a double block to be used with the block of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 3. V

Figure 6, is a perspectiveof the double block of Figures 8 to 5. V

Figure 7 is a perspective showing a portion of a wallmade from the blocks shown in Figures 1 to 6. 1

Figures 8 and 9 are perspectives of a modified form of cooperating single and double blocks, respectively. 7 i

Referring first to Figures 1 to 7, Figures 1 and 2 show one form of single height block. Each of these blocks A is generally shown. as trapezoidal in plan, its parallel Sides 1 and 2 forming portions of opposite faces of the wall. The side face 1 is shown as presenting a pair of rectangular faces 3 which simu late in contour the end faces of bricks, these rectangular portions being partially surrounded by depressed portions 4 which when the wall is completed simulate cement or mortar joints between the bricks. Of course, however, these faces might be otherwise formed if desired. The non-parallelend wall portions 5 are shown as making equal angles with the parallel sides 1 and 2 and inorder that space may be left between successive blocks to receive cement or mortar, these side faces 5 are shown as, terminating somewhat short of the faces 1 and 2, there being :portions 6 and -7 perpendicular to the faces 1 and 2 closely adjacent thereto. 7

Double height blocks B are shown in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6. As therein shown each of these blocks comprises a pair of superposed integral portions 10 and 11. Both of these portions are substantially trapezoidal in plan, the upper portion 11 being identical withthe single block A. The lower portion 10 has thelongerof its parallel facesas 14 positioned in the same plane as the shorter face 15 of'the upper portion, these two faces 14 and 15 together forming a part of the we:

posed face of the completed wall. The end walls 16 of the lower portion are arranged similarly to the end walls of the upper portion and of the single blocks A except that they are reversely positioned. Thus in laying the wall a pair of double blocks B are laid with a single block A interposed therebetween, this single block lying substantially in the same horizontal plane as the lower portion 10 of each of the double blocks, the inclined end walls of the single block A conforming to the inclined end walls 16 of the lower portions 10 of the double blocks B, but preferably leaving therebetween the cement or mortar receiving slot 17 as shown in F igure 7, while the blocks are in close contact adjacent to both the inner and outer faces of the wall.

Another double block B may then be positioned superposed on the single block A, its lower portion 10 fitting between the upper portion 11 of the double blocks already laid. Thus it will be seen that in that portion of the wall formed by double blocks the lower portion of each block is in alinement with and forms part of the same course as the upper portion of the next endwise positioned blocks, the inclined end faces of the several blocks interlocking with each other to form a secure bond in all directions. At the top of the wall single blocks may be used to fill in the spaces between the tops of alternate double blocks, similar to the way in which they are used at the base of the wall as shown in Figure 7. All the blocks may be provided with vertically arranged holes 25 to .decrease their weights. Preferably also the upper faces of the blocks are formed centrally somewhat depressed as shown best at 30 in F igure 5 in order to provide space for cement in building the walls while their outer edge portions are in close contact.

In general it is desirable, in order that the appearance of the finished wall face shall conform to the usual dimensions of brick and at the same time to permit a proper wall thickness without an undue angularity of the end walls, to form the back faces of the several blocks somewhat differently from the forward faces. For example, it will be noted in Figure 3 that the longer face of the upper portion 11 of the double block as 20 is somewhat shorter than the longer face of the lowerportion as 14. This permits of increasing the angle between the end faces of this upper portion as shown at a with a given thickness of wall, thus making the rear corners of the block thicker and stronger and making it easier to form in the mold. Since this rear face 20 is shorter than the corresponding long face of the lower portion of the'block it will be necessary to form the short back face longer than the correspond ing short front faces, to fill the space between two long back faces.

In the construction thus described the front finished wall surface of each double block simulates five bricks, but as this may cause the individual blocks to be too heavy to handle, it is preferable to reduce the total length of the blocks so that each finished face of a double block represents three bricks, as shown in Figure 9, while the single block simulates a single brick as shown in Figure 8. Otherwise the two constructions are substantially identical although the holes 25 extending vertically through the smaller blocks of Figures 8 and 9 are preferably modified in shape as shown in these figures.

Certain embodiments of this invention having thus been described, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A building block comprising a pair of superposed integral portions each of substantially one-half the height of the block and of substantially trapezoidal configuration in plan, the shorter of the parallel sides of one of said portions lying in the same plane with the longer of the parallel sides of the other portion and forming therewith a side face of said block, said side face being formed to simulate portions of superposed courses of similar building units, said shorter side having one less of said simulated units than said longer side.

2. A building block comprising a pair of superposed integral portions each of substantially one-half the height of the block and of substantially trapezoidal configuration in plan, the shorter of the parallel sides of one of said portions lying in the same plane with the longer of the parallel sides of the other portion and being of substantially one-half the length of said longer side.

3. A building block comprising a pair of superposed integral portions each of substantially one-half the height of the block and each of substantially trapezoidal configuration in plan, the shorter of the parallel sides of one of said portions lying in the same plane with the longer of the parallel sides of the other portion and the longer of said parallel sides. of said one portion and the shorter of said parallel sides of said other portion being respectively shorter and longer than the longer and shorter parallel sides of said other and said one portion.

4. A wall comprising a plurality of double height blocks each such block comprising a pair of superposed portions integral with each other, each said portion being sul stantially trapezoidal in plan and one-half the height of said double height block with the short and long parallel sides of said portions reversely positioned relative to the side faces of the wall, the short side being substantially one-half the length of the long side on one face of said wall, adjacent endwise positioned blocks being offset vertically substantially one-half their height, and single height blocks substantially trapezoidal in plan positioned between each successive pair of double height blocks in the bottom course and supporting double height blocks with their lower portions in substantially horizontal alinement with the upper portions of the double height blocks of said bottom course. 7 Y V In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

a HARRY SHARPE; 

